Plaster Cast of a Brooch, 1910

In the early 20th century, the creations were photographed but also sometimes cast in plaster. These casts were made from finished jewels, providing a unique, three-dimensional record of Cartier designs. Conserved in Paris at the Rue de la Paix premises, the casts look like raw jewellery stripped of its precious gems – an almost archaeological vestige of certain jewels that no longer exist, because lost or later disassembled.

Courtesy of Cartier Archives

● Type: Cast
● Dimensions: 9.6 H x 6.8 W x 1.7 D cm
● Material: Plaster
● Date: 1910

Details: Genealogies of OrnamentExhibition